Children's Surgery in Sharjah

Who operates on children at Dar Al Kamal Hospital?

Children's surgery at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah is a shared pathway across several departments. Your child is first seen by a pediatrician, who examines them, looks at the whole child and decides whether a surgical opinion is needed. The operation itself is then carried out by the consultant surgical team whose specialty matches the problem:

• Ear, nose and throat: the ENT team performs tonsil and adenoid removal and treats other ear, nose and throat conditions in children.
• Bones and joints: the orthopaedic team treats fractures, foot and hip problems and other children's bone and joint conditions.
• Tummy, groin and genitals: the general surgery team repairs hernias, removes abdominal lumps and masses, performs circumcision and carries out children's urological procedures.

Every operation is supported by the anaesthesia team, who plan a child's anaesthetic around their age and size. Parents often ask whether one doctor coordinates all of this. The pediatrician stays your child's main doctor throughout, and the surgeon and anaesthetist join the plan for the operation itself.

Much of the work is deciding whether an operation is needed at all. Many childhood conditions settle with time, and a careful assessment keeps surgery for the children who genuinely benefit from it.

When should a child be assessed for surgery?

Book an appointment with the pediatrician at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah if your child has:

• Repeated sore throats with tonsillitis, loud snoring, pauses in breathing at night or constant mouth breathing
• A lump or bulge in the groin, scrotum or navel, especially one that appears when the child cries, coughs or strains
• A testicle that is hard to feel in the scrotum, or a scrotum that looks swollen on one side
• A foreskin that balloons on passing urine, or repeated foreskin or urine infections
• A limp, an in-turned foot, a leg shape that worries you, or a fracture that is healing slowly
• A lump in the tummy, or tummy pain that keeps returning to the same spot
• A scan or a doctor's finding that someone has suggested needs a surgical opinion

Bring your observations with you. A parent's sense that something is wrong is clinically meaningful and is taken seriously at every step.

When is it an emergency?

Go to the emergency department straight away, without waiting for a clinic appointment, if your child has:

• A painful, hard lump in the groin or scrotum that will not push back in, especially with vomiting. This can be a trapped hernia.
• Sudden severe tummy pain with vomiting, particularly pain that moves to the lower right side or stops your child walking normally.
• Sudden pain in one testicle, sometimes with swelling or vomiting. A twisted testicle is an emergency measured in hours.
• Bleeding from the mouth after a tonsil operation. Bring your child in immediately, day or night.
• An injured limb that looks bent, or a child who refuses to put weight on a leg after a fall.

Waiting overnight in the hope that pain settles is exactly what turns a manageable problem into a serious one.

Tonsils and adenoids

Tonsils and adenoids are pads of tissue at the back of the throat and nose that help fight infection in early childhood. When they cause repeated tonsillitis, or grow large enough to block breathing during sleep, the ENT surgeon may advise removal. Tonsillectomy removes the tonsils, and adenoid removal clears the tissue behind the nose that causes mouth breathing, snoring and repeated glue ear. Both are usually day-case operations. The children's ENT page explains the clinic assessment that comes first, including hearing checks.

Hernias, lumps and tummy problems

A hernia in a child is usually a bulge in the groin where a small passage from before birth has stayed open. Groin hernias in children are generally repaired, because bowel can become trapped. A bulge at the navel, by contrast, often closes by itself as the child grows and is usually watched. The general surgery team carries out hernia repair and assesses lumps and masses in the abdomen, arranging scans first where needed. Appendicectomy for appendicitis is also performed by the general surgery team, usually as an emergency.

Circumcision and urological conditions

Circumcision is performed by the general surgery team for newborns and boys, whether requested for family and religious reasons or advised because the foreskin is tight or repeatedly infected. The same team carries out children's urological procedures, including hypospadias repair for boys born with the urine opening on the underside of the penis, and hydrocele treatment for fluid around a testicle that persists beyond infancy. The pediatric urology page describes the assessment for urine and genital conditions, including undescended testicles.

Bones, joints and feet

Children's bones are still growing, and they heal and reshape themselves in ways that differ from adult bones. The orthopaedic team assesses and treats children's bone and joint conditions, from fractures and limping to hip problems and leg shape. For babies born with a turned-in foot, children's foot deformity correction uses gentle stretching and a series of casts first, with a small operation only when needed.

Anaesthesia for children

Every child's anaesthetic is planned and given by an anaesthesiologist, a specialist doctor who assesses your child beforehand, reviews their health and any previous reactions, and chooses an approach suited to their age and size. A parent can usually stay until the child is asleep and is brought to their side as they wake. The paediatric anaesthesia page explains fasting times and how to prepare your child for the day.

What happens at your child's appointment?

The first visit is with the pediatrician. You are asked about the problem, how long it has been present, your child's general health, medicines, allergies and any previous operations or anaesthetics. Your child is examined gently, with you present, and in words they can understand. Scans or blood tests are arranged where they help.

If an operation may help, your child is booked to see the surgeon from the matching team, who explains the options, including watching and waiting where that is reasonable. The paediatric surgical assessment page describes this first stage in more detail. Once you agree a plan, you receive fasting instructions, a date and a pre-anaesthetic review.

On the day, you stay with your child through the preparation. Afterwards you are told how to manage comfort, feeding and the wound at home, when to return to school, and which signs mean you should call rather than wait. The surgeon gives you a recovery timeline for your child's case.

Cost and insurance

Most UAE health insurance plans cover children's consultations and common operations when they are medically needed, but an operation almost always requires pre-approval, and cover varies by policy and procedure. Circumcision requested for family or religious reasons is often treated differently from one advised on medical grounds. Start the approval early, because it is a common source of delay between the decision and the date. Contact Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah on 06 599 7777 to confirm what your policy covers.